Reversible turbine.



No. 857,090. PATENTED JUNE 18, 1907. J. MOLAS.

REVERSIBLE TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.2,1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 857,090. PATENTS}; JUNE 18, 1907. J. MOLAS.

REVERSIBLE TURBINE.

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PATENTED JUNE 18, 1907.

J. MOLAS.

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J. MOLAS.

REVERSIBLE TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED 11.2, 1907.

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JEAN MOLAS, or LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO JOHN,

ALFRED SMEETON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

REVERSIBLE TURBINE.

' I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1907.-

Application filed January 2, 1907- Sarial No. 350,375.

: cation.

Elastic fluid pressure turbines commonly have a number of rings or hoops of vanes through which the motive fluid consecutively passes, one hoop of'vanes having one direction, being fixed to a stationary casing, and the next hoop having vanes of another direction, being fixed to a revolublc body or rotor; When it is desired that such a turbine should be capable of being reversed in its direction revoluble body, and the opposed series of hoops of vanes on another revoluble body, so that all the hoops of vanes, having one direction, were carried by'one body, and all the hoops of vanes having an opposed direction were carried by the other body, and then to clutch one body to the casing and the other body to the rotor, or vice versa, according to the direction of motion required. Where the motive fluid passed in the axial direction of the turbine, it has been proposed to con nect all the hoops of vanes having one direction, to a revoluble outer member and all the hoops of vanes having opposite direction, to an inner revoluble member, and then to connect one hoop-carrying revoluble member to say a stationary part, and the other hoopcarrying revoluble member to a revoluble part, according to the direction of motion required N ow the primary object of the present in vention is to construct a turbine so that each circle or hoop of vanes is separate and without permanent connection with any other hoop of vanes, and then to provide mechanism by which alternate separate circles or hoops of vanes can be selected and fixed to the stationary casing, while the remaining separate hoops of vanes can be selected and fixed to the rotor, or vice versa, according to the dircction of motion required, and so obviate the necessity of permanently connecting every alternate hoop of vanes to one connecting member, and the remaining set of hoops of vanes to another connecting member, and then connecting these carrying members either to the stationary casin or to the revoluble shaft as re uired, according to the direction of motion esired, and so to simplify the construction and to cause only the hoops of vanes to change their function.

The invention further refers to the means I for selecting and lockingthe-vane-carrying hoops.

The invention can be advantageously applied to a construction hereafter described, whereby en'dwise pressure upon the rotor is eliminated, the turbine being balanced by motive fluid being admitted at the center of its length and allowed to pass therethrough in opposite directions, or conversely the motive fluid is admitted at the ends, and flows thence toward the center of the length of the turbine, at which point the exhaust would then be situated. Further, the hoops of vanes are made of increasing diameters in the direction of the flow of the pressure fluid, so as to provide a progressively increasing area of passage in the direction of flow of the motive fluid, so proportioned as to afi'ord said fluid the requisite opportunity for expansion during its passage through the engine, and each of the said hoops of vanes are made of sulflciently easy fit Within the casing, and upon the rotor, so that when acting rotatively, the said hoops are enabled to assume their own proper axis of rotation.

Such being the characteristic features and functions of the turbine and its parts according to this invention, the construction of the same is now described with reference to the,examp1e shown upon the accompanying drawings, whereon Figure 1 is a side elevation of a turbine havin my improvements applied thereto, and 0 that type wherein the pressurefluid travels parallel with the axis of rotation, and where, in the example shown, the pressure fluid is admitted at both ends and exhausted centrally, Fig. 2 being an axial vertical section of a portion of the said turbine, the construction of the otherrend being symmetrical. Fig. 3 is a part transverse section to show an end view of one of the vane-car ing hoops. Fig. 4 is a diagram designed to il ustrate the action of the sliding racks by which the vanecarrying hoops are selected and fixed altering are located vane-carrying hoops 2, 3, Fig. 2, arranged side by side and at the smallest practicable distance apart. Each hoop comprises an outer and an inner annulus 4, 5, connected-by the radially'extendingvanes 6 (see Fig. 3); the vanes may be of crescent shape in cross section as indicated in the diagram, Fig. 4, and so curved that the motive fluid, while ableto flow in a direction parallel generally to the axis of the turbine, enters and leaves a hoop at the same inclination to the plane thereof but in an opposite direction, and the curvature of the vanes in one hoop is reversed in the next hoop, but it should be understood that theinvention is not limited to the particular formation of the vanes.

' The outer annulus of each hoop corresponds with the conicity ofthe casing 1, while the inner annulus of each hoop is of the same diameter so that the area of the vanes in thehoops increases in a ratio corresponding to the expansion of the fluid and in the direction of its flow. Passing through the inner annulus 5 of each hoop is a cylindrical rotor core 7 carried upon an axial shaft 8 passing out through stuffing boxes in the ends of the casing 1, and the diameters of the external and internal peripheries of the hoops are made of a sufliciently easy fit both within the conoidal casing 1 and upon the rotor core 7, that while being as aforesaid placed as closely as possible together, the separate and distinct hoops at the time constituting rotative elements, are capable of finding and freely rotating about their own natural axis of rota-' tion, so that the mass of each hoop is automatically balanced about its own axis which will coincide as a whole with the axis of the turbine, and the rotor as a whole will be enabled to attain the maximum practicable velocity of revolution.

The mechanism by which alternate hoops of vanes are selected and fixed to the stationary casing, while theremaining ,separate hoops of vanes are selected and fixed to the rotor,.or Vice versa, consists of two sets 9, 10, of sliding racks, one set 9 working 'in longitudinal grooves in the casing 1 as shown at Fig.

3), while the other set 10 works in similar grooves in the rotor core Both sets of racks are capable of endwlse movement in opposite directions alternately to an extent equal tothe thickness of a single hoop, and

are formed with projecting teeth 11, 12

- and exhaust chambers 13,14 is reversed.

spaced so as to only engage the notches of alternate hoops, the teeth 11 of one set of racks engaging the notches of one set of hoops (say the hoops 3) when, the teeth 12 of the other set of racks 10 are in engagement with the notches of the other set of hoops sponding to the position to which the racks.

have been moved.

In the arrangement of turbine, Figs. 1 to 4, the motive fluid will be admitted to the hoops of both sections of the turbine from annular chambers 13 at opposite ends of the casing 1, and exhausted from the hoops into a single chamber 14 in the center of the length of the casing, while in the modified. construction shown at Fig. 5, the disposition of the inlIet either arrangement the motive fluid passes from the inlet chamber 13 to the first hoop through a series of 'ports or nozzles 15, of suitable form and inclination (as indicated by dotted lines at Fig. 5) provided in a permanently stationary ring 16.

When reversal is to be effected, the rotor core would usually be disconnected from the load and the'sup ly of motive fluid would be cut off, so that a though the hoops already in rotation would continue to revolve until reversal had actually taken lace, their 1110- mentum would diminishv an would represent the only power to be overcome at the instant of reversal. When the supply of motive fluid has been thus cut off, pressure is applied to cause all the racks 9, 10 of the two sets to move in the direction to bring them into the new position to effect the interchange of function between the hoops, and consequently upon the vacant notches in either set of hoops coming opposite to the teeth of' the respective sets of racks, the latter will be shot into their new position. While this sliding movement of the racks is taking place, it is necessary to revent their teeth becoming interlocked wit 1 the notches of all the hoops simultaneously, and to prevent this the teeth of the racks are beveled on both flanks 17, 18 as will'be best seen on the diagram sheet, Fig.4, that side ofeach notch which engages with the teeth being corres ondingly beveled, while the opposite side 0 the same notch is clear of the teeth as shown, so that notwithstanding the hoops and teeth actually moving in directions perpendicular to one another, each tooth, during its movement, will be clear of that side of the notch which it is leaving and may at the same time maintain sliding contact with that side of the notch of the next hoop with which it is passing into engagement.

In the diagram Fig. 4. the upper ortion of the same illustrates the position the rack teeth 1 1 of one of the racks 9 which is capable of sliding in grooves in the casing, while the middle section of the diagram shows a part longitudinal section through all the hoops of both sets to illustrate the relative directions of curvature of the vanes, and therefore the relative directions of rotation of the respective hoops; and the lower portion of the diagramshows the series of teeth 12 of one of the racks carried in grooves in the rotor core 7 and the corresponding notches in the inner annulus of the hoops, the positions of the racks 9, 10 in the diagram corresponding to the positions shown at Fig. 2, and also the notches are shown in the position they would occupy at the instant when reversal can take lace. The direction of revolution of the oops 2, is indicated by the arrows 19, the arrows'20 showing the direction of the pressure exerted by the hoops 3 against the teeth 11* in their effort to rotate in the o posite direction. When reversal is to be efl ected, the racks aremoved inthedirection of the arrows 21 to a distance equal to the thickness of one hoop, and it will beobserved that the narrower ends of the teeth-which are a direction is precisely limited to the distance required, (2) that the pressure of the motive fluid is constant and in a single direction only, and '(3) that the turning movement upon -each hoop (whether regarded as stationary or revolving) is also constant and ro ortional to the pressure of the motive ui is to insure that the hoo s of either set will finally bearrested, and t ereafter con- -,stantly maintained by their respective rack teeth in proper angular relation to each other. The s iding movement of the racks 9, 10

. may be produced either mechanically or by means of fluid pressure, by which also the racks can be held in the position to which they have been shifted, and in applying fluid pressure for this purposeand which is preferab1e-the most convenient arrangement'is to apply a constant but uniform pressure on one side of a piston connected with the racks so that the latter'are constantly pressed in one direction and normall held at one limit of their stroke, and then or reversal, to admit for the time being a superior pressure to the opposite side of the same or of another piston, whereby the racks are moved 1n the other-position and so held. a

In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 the inferior pressure above referred to is that as at 22 to permit the fluid to expand so that its pressure may become sufliciently reduced. Through the inner end of the rotor, core 7 ,a piston 23 is fitted to slide axially of the turbine, this pistonthe outer face of which is constantly exposed to the pressure of the expanded fluid within the chamber22-being attached as at 24 to the inner end of each of the racks 10, along with which, and with the rotor core 7, it therefore revolves, whileconstantly tending to-cause the racks 10 to move inward. At the inner side of the piston 23 (which'may be called the low pressure piston) another and oppositely acting piston 25 (which may be termed the high pressure piston) is fitted to work, this latter piston being provided with radial arms 26 which extend through the exhaust chamber 14 and are connected as at 27 to the inner ends of the racks (not shown), through a passage 28 to a chamber 29 whereof the piston 25 constitutes the inner end. The chamber 29 is kept-constantly secluded from the surrounding exhaust chamber 14 by means of a cylindrical extension of the piston 25 which constantly maintains a sliding connection with a stationary cylindrical boss 30 concentric with the turbine, this boss serving as a guide for the piston 25 and also containing the passages 28 for the admission of the high pressure motive 'fluid to the chambers 29 of both sections of the turbine.

The high and low pressure pistons 23 and 25 contact with one another through the medium of a ball bearing such as shown at 31, and it will be obvious that so long as the high pressure motive fluid is cut off from the chamber 29 of each section of the turbine, the lower pressure of the expanded fluid within the chamber 22 will cause the low pressure piston 23 to move to and remain at the inner end, of its stroke, this piston carrying along with it not only the racks 10 which are directly attached to it, but also (through the medium of the now otherwise inactive high pressure piston 25) the racks 9. When h'owever the pressure of the 'unexpanded motive fluid is admitted to the chambers 29, this superior pressure will overcome that in chamber 22 and will cause the high pressure piston 25to move to and remain at the outer end 'of its stroke, this piston carrying along with mil:

. may be determined, in the inward direction by the high pressure piston encountering a shoulder on the stationary boss 3O, and in the outward direction by a fiange on the low pressure piston 23 encountering a keeper= ring 32 which is fixed to the inner end of the' rotor core 7 and serves to. retain the entire series of hoops upon the core.

As aforesaid, each rotor core 7 is connected to an axial shaft 8passin'g out through stuffing boxes at both ends of the casing 1, and the shaft is divided at the middle of its length as at 33, Fig. 2, the two halves being halved or splined together, and each half of the shaft is connected to its rotor core by means ofa slidimg key, -so that the two halves of the shaft are capable of being forced apart in the axial direction or drawn together for the purpose of maintaining or interrupting driving connection between the coned outer end 3% of each portion and a similarly coned axial socket formed on the inner end of a shaft 35 journaled to rotate in a thrust bearing 36 in axial alinement with the shaft 8, and motion may be conveyed from the shaft 35in an convenient or Well-known manner.

In order to efiect the engagement or disen gagement 'of the friction clutchtformed by the ends 3% of the shaft 8 andthe sockets formed in the shaft or shafts 35, each portion of the shaft 8 is provided with a collar 37 adapted to work as a piston in a cylindrical chamber inthe corresponding end of the boss 30, the outer side of this piston being constantly exposed to the pressure of the-expanded motive fluid in the chamber 22 so as to cause the shaft to tend constantly to slide inward and thus withdraw itsconed end 34 from driving engagement with the socket of the shaft 36. The inner side of the piston 37 is adapted to be exposed at will to the pressure of the unexpanded motive fluid, which is'supplied simultaneously to the inner end of both of the chambers of the collars 37 by passages leading from a central chamber 38 in the boss 30, which chamber is supplied with the motive fluid at initial pressure through a passage 39 (shown by dotted lines, Fig. 2) under the control of a suitable valve (not shown).

- It will be understood that so long as the ressure fluid is not admitted to act on the mner sides of the shaft pistons 37, the clutch members of the shaft 8 will be held disengaged by the'reduced pressures acting upon the outer sides of the pistonsc37, but when driving power is to be transmitted from the shaft Sworking ressure fluid is admitted to act on the inner aces of the shaft pistons 37, and the clutch members of the driving shaft .8 will be thrust into driving engagement, and

mechanism.

earnest any increase or diminution in the initial pressure of the motive fluid, producing a variation in the rotative energy developed by the turbine, will likewise produce a variation in the pressure engagement of the clutching device.

The. construction illustrated in Fig. 5 is similar in all essential. features to that described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4, except ing as regards the necessaryreversal of posi+ tion of the various parts consequent upon the reversed arrangement of the inlet and exhaust chambers relatively to one another, which reversal is clearly indicated by the various reference letters and numerals. Hence by reading inner for outer, and vice versa, in the description given above with reference to Figs. 1 to i, so far as applies to the means for efiecting the interchange of function between the two sets of hoops, that description will apply with sufficient exactness in the present case to render its virtual repetition unnecessary. In Fig. 5 however the rotor shown. Fig. 5 moreover indicates in addition, a'means whereby the shifting of the racks Qand 10 may be effected mechanically. For this purpose the arms 26 on the high pressure piston 25 have attached to them rods 40 which extend, parallel to the turbine axis, through stuffing boxes in the corresponding end covers of the casing, externally of which these rods may be connected by any convenient means to suitable actuating What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. In a reversible turbine inwhich the rotative and directive elements are adapted to the direction of flow of theinotive fluid; the

combination with a stationary casing Whose internal surface is circular in cross section,

and a revoluble member passing .axially through said casing of a number of separate vane-carrying hoops without permanent connection with any other partor one with the other, located side by side on said revoluble member so as to approximately fill the interior of the casing, the vanes of one hoop being formed to produce rotation in one direction, and the vanes ofthe next hoop to produce rotation in; the other direction, means for supplying motive fluid to the casing and for exhaustingit therefrom after passing consecutively through the separate hoops of vanes, and means for selecting and fixing alternate separate hoops of vanes to the stationary casing, whilev the remaining separate hoops of vanes are selected and it therefrom after fixed to the revoluble member, or vice versa,

internal surface is circular in cross section,

and a revoluble member passing axially through said casing; of a number of separate vane-carrying hoops Without permanent connection with any other part or one with the other, located side by side on said revoluble member so as to approximately fill the interior of the casing, the vanes of one hoop being formed to produce rotation in one direction, and the vanes of the next hoop to produce rotation in the. other direction, means for supplying. motive fluid to the casing and for exiausting it therefrom after passing consecutively through the separate hoops of vanes, sliding members carried in the casing adapted to engage alternate vane-carrying hoops, and sliding members carried by the revoluble member also adapted to engage alternate vane-carrying hoops, and means for simultaneously moving the said sliding members of one set in theoppo site direction to the sliding members comprising'the other set, to lock alternate hoops to the casing and the remaining hoops to the rotor, and vice versa, according to the direction of motion of the turbine required, substantially as set forth.

3. In a reversible turbine in which the rotative and directive elements are adapted to interchange their functions to enable reversal of motionto be e ected without reversal of the direction of flow of the motive fluid; the combination with a stationary casing whose internal surface is circular in cross section, and a revoluble member passing axially through said casing; of a number of separate vane-carrying hoops-without permanent connection with any other part or one with the other, located side by side on said revoluble member, and of such'internal and external diameters as to produce a loose fit within the casing and upon the rotorto enable them to assume their proper axis of rotation, the vanes of'one hoop being formed to producerotation in one direction, and the vanes of the next hoop to produce rotation in the other direction, means for supplying motive fluid to the casing and for exhausting assing consecutively through the separate lioops of vanes, sliding members carried in the casing adapted to engage alternate vane-carrying hoops, and sliding members carried by the revoluble member also adapted to engage alternate vanecarrying hoops, and means for simultaneously moving the said sliding members of one set in the opposite direction to the slidin members comprising the other set, to 100 alternate hoops to the casing and the remaining hoops to the rotor, and vice versa, according to the direction of motion of the turbine required, substantially at set forth.

4. In a reversible turbine in which the rotative and directive elements are adapted to interchange their functions to enable reversal of motion to be effected without reversal of the direction of'flow of the motive fluid; the combination with a stationary casing whose internal surface is circular in cross section, said casing having longitudinal grooves on its inner surface, a revoluble shaft passing axially through said casing, hearings in the ends of said casing to carry said shaft, a rotor core within said casing keyed to said shaft and having longitudinal grooves in its periphery; of a number of separate vane-carrying hoops without permanent connection with any other part or one withthe other located in the annular space between the revoluble rotor'core and the casing, said hoops having notches through their outer and inner peripheries extending transversely of the planes of the hoops, racks located in the grooves of the casing and of the rotor, teeth on the racks adapted to engage only the notches of alternate hoops, and mechanism for simultaneously moving the racks comprising one set in the opposite direction to the racks comprising the other set to lock alternate hoops to the casing and the remaining hoops to the rotor, or vice versa,

according to the direction of motion re quired, and means for supplying motive fluid to the casing and for exhausting it therefrom after passing consecutively through the separate hoops of vanes, sub' stantially as set forth.

5. In a reversible turbine in which the rotative and directive elements are adapted to interchange their functions to enable reversal of motion to be effected without reversal of the direction of flow of the motive fluid; the combination with a stationary casing -whose internal surface is circular. in cross section, a revoluble member passing axially through said casing, a number of-separate vane-carrying hoops without permanent connection with any other part or one with the other located in the annular space between the revoluble member and the casing, .said hoops having-notches around their external and internal peripheries, one side of a notch in one hoop being inclined and the opposite side of a corresponding notch in the next hoop being oppositely inclined, and so on, and means for supplying motive fluid to the casing and for exhausting it therefrom after passing consecutively through the separate oops of vanes; ofracks carried in the casing and capable of sliding motion relatively thereto, and racks carried by the rotor also capable of sliding motion relatively thereto, teeth on the racks spaced to engage only the simultaneouslymoving the racks of one set in the opposite direction to the racks of the other set, substantially as set forth.

6. In a reversible turbine in which the rotative and directive elements are adapted to interchange their functions to enable reversal of motion to be effected without reversal of the direction of flow of the motive fluid; the combination with a stationary casing, a re'voluble shaft passing axially through said casing, a rotor core keyed to said shaft, a number of separate vane-carrying hoops Without permanent connection with any other part or one with the other located in the annular space between the rotor core and the casing, and means for supplying motive fluid to the casing andfor efliausting it therefrom after passing consecutively through the separate hoops of vanes; of sliding members carried in the casing adapted to engage alternate vane-carrying hoops and sliding members carried by the rotor core also adapted to en gage alternate vane-carrying hoops, a stationary cylindrical boss within the casing through Which boss the axial shaft passes, a low pressure piston adapted to slide and revolve on said boss and connected to the sliding members of the rotor core, and a high pressure piston adapted to slide on said boss, in contact with said low pressure piston and connected to the sliding members of the easing, means for admitting a constant supply of motive fluid at reduced pressure to normally act on the low pressure piston to maintain the sliding members in one of their positions, and means foradmitting high pressure '-motive fluid to the high pressure piston to slide the pistons and thereby operate the sliding members for reversing the fixing of the vane-carrying whoops substantially as set forth. 1 I

7. In a reversible turbine in which the rotative and directive elements are adapted to interchange their functions to enable reversal .of motion to be effected without reversal of the direction of flow of the motive fluid; the

axial em er) combination with a stationary casing Whose internal surface circular in cross section is of opposite conicity, a revoluble shaft passing the ends of the casing between the rotor core and said casing, the said hoops carry ng vanes of progressively varying sizes to ermit ofthe expansion of the pressure uid passing throug them, the vanes of one hoop being formed to produce rotation in one direction, and the vanes of thenext hoop to produce rotation in the other direction, means for supplying motive fluid in opposite directions to the two sets of vane-carrying hoops to prevent endWise pressure upon the shaft, and means the motive fluid after passing consecutively through the sets of vane-carrying hoops; of

sliding members carried in the casing adapted to engage alternate vane-carrying hoops and sliding members carried by thea'o'tor core also adapted to engage alternate vane: carrying hoops, a stationary cylindrical boss Within the casing through which boss the axial shaft passes, a loW pressure piston adapted to slide and revolve on said boss and connected to the sliding members of the rotor core, and a high pressure piston adapted to slide on said boss, in contact with said low pressure piston and connected to the sliding members of the casing, means for admitting a constant supply of motive fluid at reduced pressure to normally act on the low pressure piston to maintain the sliding members in one of their positions, and means for admitting high pressure motive fluid to the high pressure piston to slide the pistons and therey operate the sliding members for reversing the fixing of the vane-carrying hoops substantially as set forth.

JEAN MOLAS. Witnesses:

THOMAS W. Roesns, WILLIAM A. .MARSHALL.

for exhausting 

